Update On ‘Bumper Offer’ As Circulated On Instant Messaging Tool- Telegram

This is with regards to a scheme that has been circulated on instant messaging tool-Telgram indicating a bumper offer scheme by UTI Mutual Fund. We would like to inform that no such offer or product on sale has been offered by UTI Mutual Fund. The scheme lures potential investors of a bumper return and in no circumstances we commit such returns.

We understand the impact this malicious offer may have on potential investors and hence are bringing this to the notice of relevant authorities for necessary legal action.

A strict action will be taken against such false/misleading offer in all such instances.

To know more about UTI Mutual Fund schemes log into https://www.utimf.com/

About UTI Mutual Fund

UTI Mutual Fund is a SEBI registered mutual fund whose Sponsors are State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Bank of   Baroda   and Life Insurance Corporation of India.

UTI Mutual Fund is one of the largest mutual funds in India with investor accounts of over 1 crore under its 190  domestic schemes / plans as on April 30, 2019.

LEAD Acquires Pearson’s Local K-12 Learning Business In India

* The acquisition marks a key milestone in LEAD’s aspiration to provide excellent education to every child in India

LEAD, India's largest School Edtech company, today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Pearson, the world’s leading learning company, to acquire its local K-12 learning business in India.  With this acquisition, LEAD will immediately expand its reach to over 9000 schools and will further enhance its product portfolio to cater to the entire spectrum of 5 lakh+ private schools in India.

Sumeet Mehta, Co-Founder and CEO, LEAD, said, “LEAD’s mission is to bring excellent education to every child. School Edtech is poised for sustained growth post Covid and with the acquisition of the local K-12 learning business of Pearson India, we will be able to reach more schools and students in the service of our mission to provide excellent education to every child.  This acquisition will unlock synergies and build on our combined knowledge, experience and technology strengths to bring 21st century School Edtech innovation to India’s schools.”

In its K-12 learning portfolio, Pearson India caters to private, English medium CBSE and ICSE schools offering high quality blended learning solutions (books + digital) ensuring learning continuity at home; and teacher resources.  LEAD’s acquisition of Pearson’s local K-12 learning business in India is being funded through a combination of new fundraise and internal accruals. The acquisition, which has been approved by the Board of Directors of both companies, is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to be completed by Q1 CY 2023.  EY was the exclusive financial advisor to LEAD on the transaction.

About LEAD

LEAD is India's largest School Edtech company and is promoted by Leadership Boulevard Private Limited. LEAD was founded in 2012 by Sumeet Mehta and Smita Deorah, with the mission to transform school education in India. It combines deeply researched curriculum and pedagogy with technology to deliver an integrated system of teaching and learning that improves student learning outcomes and teacher performance in 3000+ schools across India. 

LEAD's integrated system is available to schools in 400+ towns and cities across India, reaching 1.2 million+ students and empowering over 25,000 teachers. LEAD-powered schools provide children with international standard education and national-level exposure for all-round growth, with a focus on helping them become confident and succeed in life.

About Pearson:

At Pearson, our purpose is simple: to add life to a lifetime of learning. We believe that every learning opportunity is a chance for a personal breakthrough. That’s why our c.20,000 Pearson employees are committed to creating vibrant and enriching learning experiences designed for real-life impact. We are the world’s leading learning company, serving customers in nearly 200 countries with digital content, assessments, qualifications, and data. For us, learning isn’t just what we do. It’s who we are. Visit us at pearsonplc.com      

MAHE Collaborates With Ecron Acunova For The Launch Of An Exclusive, State Of The Art Bioequivalence Facility

Manipal academy of higher education is supporting Ecron Acunova for the inauguration of the new state of art Phase I and Bioequivalence facility at Manipal. The facility is inaugurated by Dr. H S Ballal, Pro Chancellor, MAHE, Manipal, Mr. Srinivasan H R, CEO, Navitas Lifesciences, Dr.Ayaaz Hussain Khan , MD, Ecron Acunova & Sri T. Ashok Pai President of Dr TMA Pai Foundation along with other dignitaries.

Ecron Acunova commenced its operations in 2005 as Manipal Acunova, as a part of MEMG and in the ecosystem of Manipal Academy of Higher Education. It is a preferred Clinical Research Organisation for Indian and Global pharmaceutical companies to bring affordable Generic medicines to market faster.

They have completed 1400+ BA/BE studies in Manipal, Mangalore, and Chennai facilities. Additionally, they have completed multiple successful inspections by various global regulatory authorities with zero observations. 

The Launch of Exclusive Phase I and Bioequivalence Facility will help to facilitate the faster market reach of generic medicines. The Facility encompasses, World-class Facility spanning 32000 Sqft across four floors, 150 beds Clinical Pharmacology Units Multiple wards to accommodate mixed gender studies, a Dedicated screening area, an Euglycemic Clamp Facility, State of the art Bioanalytical laboratory 

Speaking about the collaboration Dr. H S Ballal, Pro-Chancellor of MAHE said, “We are privileged and honoured to be a part of this remarkable collaboration. My heartiest congratulations to all of them for their efforts to make another collaboration a successful one. The current education system seeks new dimensions and new explorations in such areas as well. I am glad that we are focusing on getting affordable Generic medicines to market faster. Let’s keep up the good work going”

Mr. Srinivasan HR, CEO of Navitas life sciences said “with this expansion, we become the largest Bioavailability and Bioequivalence Centres in the country with state-of-the-art facility which will enable bringing of generic medicine to market. We are committed to continue our expansion”.

Dr. Ayaaz Hussain Khan, Managing Director of Ecron Acunova said “Ecron Acunova with its quality delivery of Biostudies for the last 15 years for the Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology industries/Organisation has enabled patients access to medicines affordable. The expansion of the generic business unit with the inauguration of the new facility at Manipal paves way to the next level of growth with extended capabilities in inhalation and euglycemic clamp studies”.  

Manipal Academy of Higher Education has collaborated with Acunova to work on a Patient Bioequivalence study for USFDA submission in psoriasis with Dr. Satish Pai, Dept of Dermatology, Kasturba Hospital Manipal, they also formed a group of Therapeutic Area experts for guidance during the conduct of Global Clinical Trials. The study was inspected by US Health Officials and has been successfully closed. Acunova also collaborated on a few other programs where their staff has given seminars in MAHE, MCOPS.

We collaborate with the Dept. of Neonatology, KMC, and Manipal for aminophylline and caffeine Bioanalysis in our lab for an ICMR-sponsored project on POP PK and PD study among Preterm newborns with apnea. collaborate with the Dept. of Community Medicine, KMC, Manipal, for the Bioanalysis of Cotinine in the study "Preventing smoking uptake among adolescents – A Primary prevention initiative for chronic lung disease in India” funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC), UK. 

They are also working with Stempeutics for a Clinical trial on Stem cells in Osteoarthritis, along with the Orthopaedic Department of Kasturba hospital. Together, they are developing a method for RBC Acetyl Cholinesterase that can be used as a diagnostic marker in Organophosphorus Poisoning and have already developed a method for estimating Tacrolimus for Therapeutic Monitoring of Kidney Transplant Patients.

Acunova has also provided an internship for MD Pharmacology Graduates from the Dept of Pharmacology, KMC Manipal to gain experience in Clinical Pharmacokinetic studies. They also supported the Dept of Microbiology in analyzing Meropenem for an MD project in critical care patients and performing the Method Development and Validation free of cost.

Plan Your Next Holiday With Scoot’s "Back To Work” Sale

·         Sale runs until 10 January 2023

·         Signals Scoot’s commitment to providing value travel and experiences

India - Scoot, the low-cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines Group (SIA), has launched a “Back to Work" sale till 10 January 2023. Travellers may consider planning ahead for their next holidays to enjoy great fares to over 30 destinations, starting from ?5,700[1].

Scoot currently operates non-stop flights between Singapore, and Amritsar, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirappalli, and Vishakhapatnam. It also provides convenient one-stop connections via Singapore, to destinations including Bangkok, Bali, Melbourne, and Yogyakarta.

Scoot General Manager of India, Brian Torrey, said, "India remains one of Scoot’s important markets and we are committed to connecting travelers conveniently to and from India with other parts of the world. Besides an extensive network, we will also continue to offer quality services, differentiated products and unique experiences at affordable fares and the highest safety standards that customers have come to expect from a member of the Singapore Airlines Group.”

Last year, Scoot celebrated 10 years since its inaugural flight.  The airline now serves 71 destinations[2] across 15 countries and territories in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Europe, and has a fleet of over 50 aircraft comprising widebody Boeing 787 Dreamliners and single-aisle Airbus A320 family aircraft. In the spirit of celebrations, Scoot partnered The Pokémon Company and became the first international airline in the ASEAN region to launch the Pokémon Air Adventures project. The collaboration includes a themed flight experience on board the Pikachu Jet, exclusively designed on the outside and inside. Additionally, Scoot hosted its largest flight ticket giveaway, rewarding customers and fans 10,000 free tickets to anywhere across the airline’s network.

KreditBee Closes Second Tranche Of Its USD 200 Million Series D Fundraise

·         Closed a USD 200 million primary fundraise from Advent International, MUFG Bank and existing investors

KreditBee, one of India’s leading fintech platforms, in an extension of its Series D round raised an additional USD 100 million in primary funding from Advent International ("Advent"), one of the world’s largest and most experienced private equity investors. Last month, the company had raised Tranche one of Series D from Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), Japan’s largest bank, along with existing investors Premji Invest, Motilal Oswal Alternates, NewQuest Capital Partners, and Mirae Asset Venture Investments. Avendus Capital acted as the exclusive financial advisor to KreditBee on the transaction.

The additional capital raised will be deployed towards scaling the existing business and diversifying its product offering by venturing into digitally enabled financial products. The company serves the credit and other personal finance requirements through its in-house RBI-registered NBFC - Krazybee Services Private Limited (Systemically important NBFC) along with partnerships with over 10 renowned financial institutions. The platform is on track to surpass an AUM of USD 1 billion over the next 6-9 months.

On announcing the fundraising, Madhusudan Ekambaram, Co-Founder & CEO of KreditBee, said, “We are delighted to welcome a long-term financial and strategic partner in Advent. This reinforces the confidence in our profitable business model and the long-term sustainability of it. The latest round will help us to achieve our vision of serving over 400 million middle income population in the country.”

Shweta Jalan, Managing Partner at Advent International, added, “We believe KreditBee’s proprietary underwriting tech stack is one of the best in the industry and helps in its ability to identify and underwrite future prime customers at an early stage. We are thrilled about this partnership and to assist KreditBee to drive further value creation in its next phase of sustainable growth.”

Gagan Joshi, Director at Advent International, said, “We are excited about the digital lending opportunity in India, a fast-growing under-penetrated space, which only a handful of FinTechs like KreditBee have been able to crack profitably. We look forward to supporting Madhu and his team in creating a full-service fintech platform to help meet the credit needs of India.”

Ashish Dave, CEO of Mirae Asset Venture Investments, said, “KreditBee has witnessed several credit cycles and has come out stronger each time reflecting adaptability and resilience of its business model. With this investment, we are strengthening our commitment to back KreditBee’s vision.”

Pankaj Naik, Executive Director and Co-Head, Digital & Technology Investment Banking at Avendus Capital said, “We are thrilled to have partnered with Madhu and KreditBee. This new funding will help KreditBee consolidate its position as a strong leader in the personal digital lending market. The current round is a reflection that in any market conditions, companies with attractive margin profiles addressing a large market opportunity continue to create an exceptional outcome.”

About KreditBee

KreditBee is a FinTech Platform which facilitates digitally enabled personal loans to professionals, where they can avail loans up to ?4 lakhs as per their requirements. With a strong focus on online tech-based and data-centric KYC, KreditBee envisions solving the financial inclusion gap in the varied demographic segments of the country. Currently, it has 7 million loan customers, out of which over 3 million are active loan customers.

CES 2023 Highlights: Gaming Gadgets, Dazzling TVs And Flying Car Among Others

* A flying car is actually happening, for real this time 

Aska A5 flying care at CES 2023 debut

We've been waiting on flying cars since at least the Jetsons, and we now appear on the precipice of realizing that dream. And by "we" I mean a company called Aska, which revealed its A5 flying car at CES 2023. It's more than a concept: Aska has opened preorders for the $789,000 vehicle. At CES 2023, Aska cofounder Guy Kaplinsky said FAA approval for the A5 could happen "within a month." Aska hopes to use the A5 to start a ride sharing service in 2026.

BMW i Vision Dee

With its intelligent, almost human capabilities, BMW i Vision Dee accompanies drivers not only through real-life situations on the roads, but also in their digital environment.

“A BMW lives by its unparalleled digital performance. BMW i Vision Dee is about perfect integration of virtual and physical experiences,” said Frank Weber, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Development. “Whoever excels at integrating the customer’s everyday digital worlds into the vehicle at all levels will succeed in mastering the future of car-building.”

Icoma Tatamel Ebike

Living in an apartment in a big city means you never have space for anything. Especially an electric bike, which you probably don't want to store outside on the sidewalk. Enter the Icoma Tatamel. This Japanese concept ebike is tiny. (And cute!) It folds up to be even more compact, and it can be stored in tight spaces. When you have it inside, you can use it as a portable power station if the power goes out. Take it out, unfold it, and you can go up to 25 miles an hour for about 18 miles per charge with the 600-watt motor. It recharges in about three hours. You can roll it around in its folded state, and the side panels are customizable. (This one has videoscreens built in.) It does have a big downside: You won't want to carry it up a flight of stairs, as it weighs around 110 pounds. Icoma says it expects to launch the ebike this spring, including in the US, though the price hasn't been finalized. —Julian Chokkattu

LG Gram Laptops

The Korean tech giant LG has refreshed its Gram line of thin and capable notebook PCs this year at CES. The Gram Ultraslim, one of the 2023 models, is the thinnest of the pack at just 10.99 millimeters. The slightly beefier (that term being relative) Gram Style has an all-glass top with a trackpad hidden beneath the surface. Tap the glass and an array of LEDs awaken to illuminate the touch-sensitive area. These new Grams have Intel Raptor Lake chips inside, and they ship globally in February. LG says it will announce US and UK pricing soon. —Michael Calore

Bosch RideCare

If there’s anything scarier than getting in a car driven by a stranger, it’s pulling up to a curb and having a stranger climb into the backseat behind you. Bosch’s RideCare is a smart camera system designed specifically as a safety device for rideshare drivers. The system is powered by the car's cigarette lighter and has both front- and rear-facing cameras; the interior camera uses infrared lighting to see inside the car when it’s dark. If something seems amiss, the driver can punch a discreet wireless SOS button to contact Bosch's emergency services. The emergency responders can access a videofeed from inside the car, along with location information and a time stamp, to decide whether the driver needs them to call for help. Sure, it’s a little more complicated than a simple dashcam, but there’s nothing that says you can’t use it for car karaoke as well. —Adrienne So

Nourished x Neutrogena Skin360 Skinstacks

Despite the terrible name (no, it is not stacks of skin), few products at CES 2023 are more appealing than these tiny, sparkling rainbow jellies. And they’re good for you! The skincare company Neutrogena partnered with the UK-based supplement manufacturer Nourished to make dietary supplements that are personalized and delivered on demand. Neutrogena’s skin software assesses your specific skin needs and goals—do you want to have skin that’s glowing or resilient?—to determine which, and how much, of seven different vitamins or minerals you might need. This skin assessment tool was designed to work across various ages, ethnicities, and skin types, and with 10 different kinds of lighting. But we’re more excited to see appealing, on-demand supplements in the future for many other demographics—like, say, printing out tiny, personalized vitamin D3 and potassium supplements for a 7-year-old. —Adrienne So.

TECNO Enters A New Category Of IoT Devices With The Launch Of 4G Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot TR109

·         Priced at INR 2,499, the newly-launched offering is available for sale on Amazon from 5th January 2023

·         The latest entrant in TECNO’s IoT device line supports up to 16 simultaneous connections and has a mighty 3000mAh battery

TECNO Mobile, the global premium technology brand, has launched its first 4G Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot TR109. Recognized for introduce industry-first features in the smartphone category, the brand has entered a new IoT segment with the launch of the 4G portable Wi-Fi Hotspot TR109. 

Priced at INR 2,499, the TECNO Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot TR109 supports up to 16 simultaneous connections and ensures a stable link among multiple users. The newly-launched offering also eliminates issues such as connection delays caused by multiple connected devices.  It comes with a mighty 3000 mAh battery and provides 7-day long standby time.  With a lightweight, portable design, it has a plug-in SIM card and Wi-Fi everywhere structure. It is suitable for network utility in every activity and has capabilities of multi-purpose usage.

Commenting on the newest entrant in TECNO’s IoT devices’ line, Arijeet Talapatra, CEO, TECNO Mobile India, said, “TECNO is a technology-centric, innovative global brand that believes in providing advanced features with every new offering. As consumers evolve and become more digitally savvy, the industry must be in sync with the demands and aspirations of its consumers. With Wi-Fi TR109, we have blended trendy design with efficiency. We aim to consolidate our position in the IoT domain too, as we have done in the smartphone segment. Our focus is on providing consumers with a wholesome array of devices with an aim to create a true TECNO-connected device ecosystem.”

Designed for digitally-savvy Gen Z consumers who require strong internet connectivity for various daily activities, the TECNO Wi-Fi Hotspot comes with a speed of 300 Mbps with 2*2 MIMO Technology, offering two spatial streams of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data on the same channel or frequency. Together with the Translink app, users can easily manage their Wi-Fi and access devices, controlling the traffic usage of terminal devices at any time.

About TECNO

TECNO Mobile is a premium smartphone brand from TRANSSION Holdings. With “Stop at Nothing” as its brand essence, TECNO is committed to unlocking the best contemporary technologies for progressive individuals across global emerging markets, giving them elegantly designed products that inspire consumers to uncover a world of possibilities. TECNO understands the needs of consumers from different markets and provides them with localized innovations that are demonstrated through their mastery of serving consumers who are “young at heart” and never stop pursuing excellence. TECNO’s portfolio spans smartphones, smart wearables and AIoT devices made for consumers in over 60 emerging markets across the world. For more information, please visit https://www.tecno-mobile.in/home/#/